June 21, 2017

On June 10, the Expo 2017 international exhibition opened in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, a country in west-central Asia. Expo 2017—like so many exhibitions and fairs before it—is a celebration of international commerce, industry, and science. The theme for Expo 2017 is “Future Energy,” concentrating on clean energy innovations as well as creative ideas for the future. The expo stresses the importance of moving from polluting fossil fuels to such green technologies as wind and solar power and providing “solutions for tackling humankind’s greatest challenge”—climate change.

The sprawling Expo 2017 complex centers on the large sphere of the National Pavilion of Kazakhstan. The international exhibition runs from June into September in Astana, Kazakhstan. Credit: © Nick Melnichenko, Shutterstock

Expo 2017 kicked off with elaborate opening ceremonies and a speech by longtime Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. “The most advanced technologies in the field of clean energy will be showcased here,” he said. “And I hope that the results of the Astana Expo 2017 will bring tangible benefits to all.” The expo runs through the summer until September 10. More than 130 countries and numerous global organizations are taking part in the fair. Between 3 million and 5 million people are expected to visit the expo’s sprawling 430-acre (174-hectare) complex, a busy mix of international pavilions clustered around the giant sphere-shaped National Pavilion of Kazakhstan.

Astana, Kazakhstan, is known for its unusual architecture and futuristic appearance. Credit: © Shutterstock

The expo’s Energy Best Practices Area Pavilion features innovative energy-related ideas and projects dealing with the creation, distribution, storage, and use of renewable and alternative energy. The new technologies include plant-powered biological fuel cells, the harnessing of bioluminescent microorganisms to produce light, inflatable solar collectors, the use of ice to power cooling and heating systems, and electric-powered zero-emission race cars and scooters. The expo also includes a full schedule of concerts and cultural programs, as well as food and drink from around the world and numerous shops and other diversions.

The Space Needle in Seattle is one of the most recognizable buildings in the United States. The 605-foot (184-meter) tower served as the centerpiece for a 1962 world’s fair called Century 21. Credit: © Shutterstock

World’s fairs and expositions have a long tradition dating back to London’s Great Exhibition of 1851. Over the years, world’s fairs have been a showcase for new inventions, unfamiliar peoples, and new kinds of art. The newly invented telephone wowed audiences at the Philadelphia exhibition in 1876, and the Eiffel Tower changed the skyline of Paris for the world’s fair of 1889. Automobiles impressed people and scared horses as they rumbled through the 1904 expo in St. Louis, and early television broadcasts showed the future of entertainment at the famous Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago in 1933-1934. The 1962 Century 21 fair in Seattle introduced the Space Needle at the dawn of the space age.

December 22, 2016

Last month, a new dawn rose over a small island in American Samoa. The island of Tau (also spelled Ta’u), home to less than 1,000 people, now gets all of its electric power from the sun. It is a small but significant step in the global push toward renewable energy. American Samoa is a United States territory in the Pacific Ocean, about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii. It consists of seven tropical islands with a combined population of about 55,000 people.

Solar panels and battery storage systems on the island of Ta’u, seen here, have provided all the island’s electric power since November 2016. Credit: © SolarCity

Tau worked with the company SolarCity, which was recently acquired by the electric car manufacturer Tesla, to convert its small electrical grid to run entirely on solar energy. (Both companies were founded by Elon Musk, a South African-born business developer.) About 5,000 solar panels and 60 battery storage systems were installed on the island over the course of two years. The battery systems store electric energy for nights and cloudy days. With the battery backups, the island can operate without sun for several days in a row.

Prior to the solar conversion, Tau’s power came from costly and polluting electric generators. Diesel fuel had to be shipped to the island over long stretches of ocean, an expensive process that itself used a lot of fuel. The new solar energy system will save some 110,000 gallons (415,000 liters) of diesel fuel each year, thereby preventing about 2.5 million pounds (1.1 million kilograms) of carbon dioxide emissions—a main cause of global warming and climate change—from entering the atmosphere.

The conversion is the latest step in the slow but steady trend toward renewable energy. Not only are such power systems better for the environment, but they are also becoming cheaper than fossil fuel-burning systems in a growing number of situations. Prices for solar cells continue to fall while their efficiency at capturing the sun’s energy slowly improves. Manufacturers are producing larger and more efficient wind turbines as well. Earlier this month, the first offshore wind farm in the United States began delivering power to an island within the state of Rhode Island. Offshore wind farms are more expensive and complicated to build than wind turbines on land, but they take advantage of strong, steady winds off the coasts to deliver cheap, consistent power.

Pacific islands like Tau are prime targets for switching to solar energy. Many are close to the equator and have few cloudy days. Therefore, they receive a strong, constant supply of sunlight year-round. Furthermore, the remote locations of these islands make shipping fossil fuels to them extremely expensive. Residents of Tau saw their electric bills remain the same after the switch and will now be insulated from oil’s fluctuating (rapidly changing) prices that, in the past, often caused energy costs to spike.

SolarCity is now working with the Hawaiian island of Kauai to improve distribution and storage of solar energy there. Kauai is significantly larger than Tau, with a population of over 70,000, but the Hawaiian state government is committed to switching to entirely renewable energy. Such islands as Kauai and Tau are likely to bear the brunt of global warming through rising sea levels and greater numbers of extreme weather events. Renewable energy, often considered the best environmental choice, may soon become the best economic choice as well.

September 22, 2016

Last week, teams of engineers and cyclists and officials from the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) gathered in the Nevada desert for the annual World Human Powered Speed Challenge. Each year, the challenge pushes the limits of human-powered speed on land, furthering human-powered technology and often setting new records. Yes, these vehicles are technically “bicycles,” but they are certainly not the usual bikes you see around the neighborhood. These bikes—called recumbents because the rider leans backward and pedals with the legs stretched forward—are built purely for speed and resemble a rocket ship capsule on wheels.

AeroVelo’s “Eta” set the world human-powered speed record of 89.59 miles per hour (144.18 kilometers per hour) on Sept. 17, 2016, at the World Human Powered Speed Challenge near Battle Mountain, Nevada. Credit: © Bas de Meijer, AeroVelo

The World Human Powered Speed Challenge takes place along a stretch of flat, remote highway outside Battle Mountain, Nevada. It is a sanctioned IHPVA event. (The IHPVA also keeps track of human-powered air and water speed records.) Teams from all over the world compete in the challenge, and each team hopes its designs and riders will be the fastest and set new world records. New records are not set every year, but this year several teams reached record speeds.

On Saturday, September 17, Canada’s team AeroVelo, comprised of aerospace engineers Todd Reichert (the “pilot”) and Cameron Robertson, set the overall speed record of 89.59 miles per hour (mph), or 144.18 kilometers per hour (kph) in their “Eta” recumbent speed bike. AeroVelo, which also builds human-powered aircraft, improved on its own world record of 86.65 mph (139.45 kph) set last year. Rider Florian Kowalik set the junior (ages 15-17) record of 65.93 mph (106.10 kph) this year for team GeeBee of the United States. The men’s multitrack (3-wheel) record fell in Nevada this year, too, with Gareth Hanks of Australia’s team Tri-Sled reaching 73.95 mph (119.01 kph). The women’s arm-powered multitrack record also fell this year, with Sarah Peircy of England’s University of Plymouth team topping out at 24.85 mph (39.99 kph). Speeds are recorded over a 656-foot (200-meter) stretch of level road with minimal wind. Human-powered vehicles illustrate the possibilities of clean energy as well as the heights of energy-efficient and aerodynamic technology.